My son is also undecided. We live in LA and drove up there and when I saw his reactions over the two hour tour, my eyes began to well up wirh tears bc I could tell that’s where he would want to go. (I wanted him to stay closer to me in LA.)
The big concerns we have are class size (because we had otherwise only been looking at small colleges with 30:1 ratio’s) & the housing shortage.
On the advice of a counselor, we are driving back up there Tuesday so he can sit in on a 700 person lecture and a 200 person lecture.
To show how cool & kind the SB folks are, he made a post on Reddit asking if people thought he’d be allowed to go sit in on classes. Several students posted schedules and suggestions for what classes and their locations he should go to and a CS professor, (my son is not a CS guy), wrote several long notes mainly speaking to how supportive and amazing the SB student body was, and about how yes, he will encounter some large classes first two years, but that there was plenty of academic support and then again, sung the students praises. Def comforted me as a parent to read all of that - especially coming from a professor.
No way UCSB is worth the OOS fees. All UC’s have an intransigent bureaucracy, housing issues, class enrollment issues – many majors impacted, poor advising, and the like. For a few dollars more, a good private offers much greater value IMO.
And if Barnard was her first choice, a large OOS public is not a fit. Isla Vista (where UCSB technically resides), is not urban by any stretch. And Isla Vista is about 10 miles from downtown SB, so a short trek that requires a car. But the SB airport is close by.
OTOH, if ‘amazing parties and schools spirit’ is what you want for your D, I don’t see the Barnard fit.
I am a bit of a NE skeptic, mostly because some of their admission strategies and growth plans. I would consider how their decision to allow students who are admitted at Oakland or London to transfer to Boston after one year (which was not their original intention) might affect resources at an already crowded campus, as well as access to coops. I would also research what coops would be available to a student with your child’s interests, which a bit more unique. I’ve heard complaints that coop placement is also getting more difficult as the school grows in population. That said, I have a family member who is graduating with a computer science major that is happy with their experience.
I almost don’t place much weight on NE’s having particular overseas expertise. Every major college has excellent study abroad programs these days and I believe UCSB happens to house the study abroad program office for the entire uc system.
Awwwww, different people define “amazing” parties differently - so on the Upper Westside, it may be the vintage of the wine and the variety of Canapés served. 
Seriously though, my daughter never complained about any “dull” parties at Barnumbia, and specially with Barnard, there is a definite sense of community.
Certainly the same person might love UCSB, Northeastern (and Barnard) for different reasons, distinct to each location - and have to figure out which reasons count most to them.
not sure that the average SB student knows what a canapé is, much less could spell it. 